Safety device for breech-actions of small-arms.



J TAMBOUR.

SAFETY DEVIGE FOR BREEOH AGTIONS OF SMALL ARMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1909.

947,066, Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

ii 1 2 SHEETS-SHIEET 1.

five)? for -||I anism, and in the drawings:

UNITED STATES PATENT i;

' JOSEPH TAIVIBOUR, OF NANTERRE, NEAR PARIS, FRANCE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BREECI-I-HACT'IONS or SMALL-ARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed J'une 23, 1909. Serial No. 503,885.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH TAMBOUR, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Nanterre, near Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Breech- Actions of Small-Arms, of which the follow ing is a specification.

This invention relates to an automatic safety device for the breech block and trigger of small arms having rotary bolt actions in which the trigger, locked by a well known form of safety lever, retains directly, without the usual intermediate lever, the striker in cocked position, the trigger when pulled actuating an automatic breech block locking lever provided with a projection to engage a notch in the rear end of the breech block, the breech block locking lever having its projection disengaged from the breech block notch by a portion of the trigger.

The advantage of this arrangement of the improved mechanism embodying the features of the invention is that the breech cannot be opened before discharge, this disadvantageous opening of the breech frequently occurring in small arms with rotary bolt actions, especially when a rifleman fires in a lying position and causes the gun to jam.

In accordance with they present invention the safety lever is used not only to lock the trigger, but also to turn the' breech block locking lever completely out of its operative position when the trigger is not actuated.

locking lever are subjected to the action of one and the same spring, and owing to the peculiar form of both the lever and trigger there are two points at which the latter 1 presses the former in firing the weapon.

. As usual, the whole mechanism is locked by a thumb piece, which, however, possesses the novelty in the present instance of a construction that permits the rifleman on bringing the weapon into firing position to ascertain whether or not it is locked.

The invention is shown ap lied in the accompanying drawings to a auser rifle as a practical illustration of the improved mech- I Fig. 2 is a detail elevation in full and dotted lines of the trigger and safety lever and illustrating the former locked by the latter.

F ig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating.

the safety lever pressed into the stock and released from the trigger and the position of the latter in dotted lines after it has been pulled. Fig. 4 is a detail plan View of-the safety lever. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the mechanism showing the parts in Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

th'evposition they occupy just subsequent to a discharge. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the mechanism cooked. and the breech block locking lever displaced by the safety lever. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of the locking thumb piece constructed in accordance with the present invention. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views showing'how the whole mechanism is locked by the engagement of the safety lever with a projection on the striker.

The trigger 1 is pivoted as at 2 in the upper rear portion of the lock casing and has a forwardly projecting hooked arm 8 at. its upper extremity and'a 'lockingprojection 7 extending rearwardly from the intermediate portion thereof, the said locking projection cooperating with an inclined surface 6 formed at an intermediate portion of a safety lever 5. The safety lever 5 normally proj ects below the under side of the stock of the firearm and is intermediately fulcrumed, as

at 3, aspring 1 being interposed between the lowerportionof the stock and the safety lever at a point slightly in advance of the fulcrum 3. The safety lever 5 al'so'has an arm 20 projecting upwardly from the inner portion thereof at the point where the inclined surface 6 is formed, the inner side of the arm 20 being constructed with a hook 2O at its upper extremity for a purpose which will be presently explained. 7 The breech block 18 has a notch 14in the forward under portion thereof, and in the rear part ofthe breech block the head 15 of the striker 17 is located, the said striker operating as in the Mauser rifle lock organization.

extremity as at 11 and has an upper seat ll.

above the pivot 11 between which and an adjacent portion of the trigger 1 close to the fulcrum 2 of the latter a spring 12 is interposed and exerts its resilient action on both the trigger and the locking lever 10. The locking lever 10 extends through a slot 12 in the trigger 1 so that the operation of the trigger will result in a cooperating actuation of the lever 10. The lever 10 at its front extremity has an upwardly projecting nose or locking pawl 13 to engage the notch 14: of the breech block 18, and at an intermediate point the said lever 10 also has a laterally projecting pin 21 to engage the arm 20 of the safety lever 5, as will be more fully hereinafter explained. The locking lever 10 also has a projection 16 at its rear end, the said projection constituting the shorter arm of the lever so that when this projection is struck the longer arm of the lever is rapidly displaced and the locking pawl 13 leaves the notch 14L prior to or sooner than the hooked. arm 8 becomes disengaged from the bent 9, this operation of the lever 10 ensuing against the resistance of the spring 12 which is compressed.

The thumb piece 22 is used for locking the whole mechanism in the usual manner, and in accordance with the present invention it has a helical surface 23 which draws the striker head 15 a little backwardly when the said thumb piece is turned, see Fig. 9, so that the head 15 is moved from the dotted position to that shown in full lines. This movement of the head brings a projection 2 1 on the latter below the hook 20 of the arm 20, and when these parts are so engaged the safety lever 5 is immovable. The safety lever 5 is exteriorly exposed at its rear extremity through a slot formed in the end of the trigger guard 19 and the said safety lever is therefore always accessible for operation.

YVhen the rifle is cocked as shown by Fig. 1, the trigger 1 is locked by the safety lever 5 in view of the fact that the inclined surface 6 is in cooperating relation to the projection 7, see Fig. 2. When the lever 5 is pressed and the trigger is pulled, see full and dotted lines Fig. 3, the inclined surface 6 is released from cooperating position with relation to the projection 7, or, in other words, it is necessary to press the rear ex tremity of the safety lever upwardly into the stock to lower the inclined surface 6 a sufficient distance to clear the projection 7 so that the trigger may be free to be drawn backwardly in the usual manner.

When the trigger is locked by the safety lever as just explained and the rifle is cocked, the hooked arm 8 engages directly the bent 9, and as soon as the trigger is free to be pulled backwardly by release through actuation of the safety lever 5, the hooked arm 8 is disengaged from the said bent 9. This operation of releasing the safety lever will be effected by the rifleman when taking hold of the weapon for firing purposes or firmly grasping the under portion of the stock over the'safety lever and thereby dispensing with any other manipulation to insure a discharge of the firearm.

When the trigger 1 is pulled, see Fig. 5, its hooked arm 8 depresses the locking lever 10 so that the pawl 13 of the latter is withdrawn from the notch 14 in the breech block 18. Shortly before the hooked arm 8 of the trigger 1 releases the head 15 of the cocked striker by becoming disengaged from the bent 9, the projection 7 of the trigger strikes against the projection 16 at the rear end of the breech block locking lever 10 and said engagement sets up a quick actuation of the longer arm of the lever 10 so that the locking pawl 13 becomes disengaged from the breech block prior to the disengagement of the hooked arm 8 from the bent 9.

When the striker 17 has been released, Fig. 5, the bent 9 will slide forwardly with its flat under surface over the hooked arm 8 and by this means the trigger is held in unlocked position and the breech block locking lever 10 is maintained out of contact with the notch let of the breech block 18 and the safetylever 5 is also under such conditions in inoperative position. If, when the rifle is cocked, it is desired to open the breech without operating the trigger, the rear extremity of the safety lever 5 is pressed into the slot therefor formed in the trigger guard 19 by means of one finger. This operation displaces the lever to a greater extent than can be accomplished by the act of gripping the weapon ready for firing and the additional movement of the lever 5 as just explained causes the arm 20 thereof to engage the pin 21 and depresses the locking lever 10 from its locking position, as shown by Fig. 6.

The improved mechanism will be found exceptionally convenient and advantageous for the purposes for which it has been devised, and while it has been explained as being especially applicable to Mauser rifle lock mechanisms, it may be used with other lock mechanisms.

hat is claimed as new is:

1. In an automatic breech block and trigger locking mechanism for small arms having a rotary bolt action, the combination of a striker, a trigger, a breech block locking lever, and a safety lever, the trigger directly retaining the striker in its cocked position and when pulled operating the breech block locking lever to release the breech block, the trigger being locked by the safety lever.

2. In an automatic breech block and trigger locking mechanism for small arms having a rotary bolt action, a striker having a portion thereof directly cooperating with the trigger, the latter being provided with a rear projection, a safety lever having a portion to engage the said projection of the trigger, and a breech block locking lever provided with a projection for engagement by a part of the safety lever.

8. In an automatic breech block and trigger locking mechanism for small arms having a rotary bolt action, a trigger having a slot extending therethrough, a safety lever having means to engage a portion of the trigger, a breech block locking lever extending through the slot in the trigger, and a spring engaging portions of both the trigger and breech block locking lever to retain 'the latter parts in their locked position.

4. In an automatic breech block and trigger locking mechanism for small arms having a rotary bolt action, a striker, a trigger having an arm to directly engage a portion of the striker and hold the latter in cocked position, a breech block locking lever having a projection at its rear end adaptedto be engaged by a portion of the trigger, and

a safetyv lever, the trigger when pulled first pressing against the forward part of the breech block locking lever and then against the projection at the rear of said lever to rapidly actuate the latter to unlock the breech block momentarily before the trigger releases the striker.

5. In an automatic breech block and trigger locking mechanism for small arms having a rotary bolt action, a striker having a bent consisting of an elongated rod with a fiat under surface, a trigger having a portion to directly engage the bent, a breech block locking lever, and a safety lever, the

the projection on the striker and the hooked 1 arm of the safety lever, a trigger, and a breech block locking lever.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 7 nesses.

JOSEPH TAMBOUR.

\Vitnesses J OSEPH RUBAsoH, ROBERT W. HEINGARTNER. 

